Cable bundling tool

ABSTRACT

A tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp is provided with a body, a stationary handle, and a movable lever that are selectively positionable with respect to the body to provide a plurality of gripping options.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No.61/385,368, filed Sep. 22, 2010, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are generally related to a handheldtool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Band clamps are used to bundle a plurality of objects or to attach oneobject to another and comprise a band with an interconnected buckle.After the band is wrapped around the object or objects, a free end ofthe band is inserted into the buckle, tensioned, and interconnected tothe buckle. A hand-held tool is generally used to maintain the positionof the buckle and tension the band. The tool is also used to lock theband to the buckle after a predetermined tension is achieved. The toolalso removes band excess after the band clamp is locked. Such tools arelight weight and easy to operate but are often difficult to use in tightor confined spaces. That is, the tools commonly employ a ratchetingmechanism to tension the band that is driven by a movable lever that iscycled between a first and second position relative to a fixed handle.As the fixed handle is fixed relative to a body that receives the band,the use of the tool is difficult or impossible in some environments.Further, a tool that may work well in one environment may not work inanother installation environment, which frustrates the installer.

For example, FIG. 1 shows a common prior art cable bundling tool 2 thatis comprised of a lever 6 rotatably interconnected to a body 10. Thelever 6 is associated with a ratcheting mechanism 14 disposed within thebody 10 that is comprised of a ratcheting wheel (not shown) having aplurality of teeth (not shown). The ratcheting wheel is also associatedwith a winding mandrel 18 that receives the free end of the band afterit is inserted through a slot 22 in a head 26 of the tool 2. The head 26also includes a cutting member 30.

In operation, a band is looped about one or more objects and the freeend of the band is threaded through a buckle at the opposite end of theband. The free end of the band is then 1) placed through the slot 22 inthe head 26; 2) fed adjacent to the cutting member 30; and 3) fed into aslot 34 of the mandrel 18. Repeated movement, i.e. cycling, of the lever6 relative to a fixed handle 38, which is also associated with the body10, winds the band around the mandrel 18. Once a predetermined tensionis achieved, the excess portion of the band extending beyond the bucklecut by actuation of a cutter arm 42 that is interconnected to thecutting member 30. The cutter arm 42 causes the cutting mechanism torotate in such a way to engage a blade onto the band to sever the band.

As briefly mentioned above, one drawback of handheld tools of the priorart is that they are limited in their ability to use in close orconfined spaces. More specifically, the tool described in U.S. Pat. No.4,570,340 to Shaw, which is incorporated in its entirety by referenceherein, attempts to address this issue with a handle 38 that isrotatable with respect to the body 10. Thus the tool may be used asshown in FIG. 1, i.e., in a pistol grip configuration, or the handle 38may be rotated away from the lever 6, such as is shown in FIGS. 3 and 6,for example, wherein the operator must use two hands to apply tension tothe band. Still further, Shaw's handle 38 can be further repositionedsuch that it is generally oriented 180° from the lever 6 to provideadditional functionality. However, rotating the handle 38 away from thelever 6 requires two-hand operation. Thus using the tool in this fashionremains difficult in tight spaces.

Prior art banding tools also often have hard to access and operatecutting mechanisms. More specifically, cutting mechanisms are generallycomprised of a rotatable blade positioned within the head portion of thetool. Rotation of the cutting mechanism will cause the blade to engagethe band and sever the band. Rotation of the cutting mechanism isachieved by moving a cutter arm in an arcuate path. The cutter arm ofthe cutting mechanism often extends away from the tool body, therebymaking it difficult to manipulate when the tool is used in confinedplaces. In such situations, bands of the prior art may not be completelylocked and the excess free end is not properly severed. For example, insome instances the operator must back the tool away from the work areato provide sufficient clearance to permit complete actuation of thecutter arm. By doing so, however, tension and retained force of the bandclamp is reduced. In addition, backing the tool away from the bucklebefore cutting the free end of the band will result in excess bandextending from the buckle following the cutting operation. Further, whenthe tool of the prior art is used in a two handed fashion, it isdifficult to activate the cutter arm as both hands are occupied with thetool handles.

Thus, there is a long felt need to provide a robust band tensioning andcutting tool that is selectively physically adjustable to allow use in avariety of situations including in confined spaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one aspect of the invention to provide an easy to use and robusthand-held tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp. Morespecifically, one embodiment of the present invention includes a bodyhaving a head that receives a free end of a band clamp that has beenwound about an object. A lever, which is associated with a ratchetingmechanism, is rotatably interconnected to a body. A handle is alsoconnected to the body and secured thereto by a locking pin. Theratcheting mechanism is interconnected to a winding mandrel thatreceives the free end of the band. In operation, as the head secures ormaintains the position of the buckle as the band is transitionedrelative to the buckle by moving the lever repeatedly towards and awayfrom the stationary handle. Once a desired tension is achieved, a cutterarm, which is also interconnected to the body, is used to rotate acutting member to sever an excess portion from the band.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a hand-heldtool that can be selectively physically altered or reconfigured so thatit can be primarily operated by one hand in various ways and in variouslocations. Embodiments of the present invention employ a handle andlever combination that rotate together from a scissors-like grip,wherein the handle and lever are generally in line with the body (i.e.,generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the body), to a pistolgrip, wherein the handle and lever are positioned generally 90 degreesrelative to the body (i.e., extending generally laterally from thebody), and to any position therebetween. The advantage of this solutionis that the vertical envelope of the tool can be effectively decreased,which allows the tool to be used in confined spaces not accessible withprior art tools.

Thus, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a toolthat is easy to switch from a pistol grip to a scissor grip. Morespecifically, as in the prior art, the pistol grip of some tools issuitable for many operations. However, in some instances, the confinesof the work area call for a scissor grip. In one embodiment of thepresent invention the handle is able to rotate relative to the bodyusing a removable locking pin that extends through apertures in the bodyand an aperture in the handle. To move the handle and lever, the lockingpin is removed and the handle and lever are moved into a preferredlocation. The locking pin is then replaced to fix the orientation of thelever and the handle. One of skill in the art will appreciate that thelocking pin may be replaced by a non-removable locking mechanism such asa button or other mechanism commonly found on locking knives, forexample, to selectively fix the position of the handle and lever withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool thatemploys easy-to-replace return springs. More specifically, oneembodiment of the present invention relies on a ratcheting mechanism toprovide the tension and holding force needed to tension the band about abundle of objects. The tool also employs a spring that returns the leverto its normal position when released. In addition, a spring is used tomaintain the position of a tensioning pawl relative to a ratchetingwheel. Likewise, springs are used to bias a holding pawl that preventsband slacking when the lever is released. Over time these springs maywear, which will render the ratcheting mechanism ineffective. Thus, itis advantageous to make the springs easy to replace. In one embodimentthe springs are exposed and easily removable in a pull-out and push-infashion. The prior art tools have to be disassembled to replace thesprings.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool headthat may be placed close to the cutting location. The contemplated headallows for a flush cut-off of the band and leaves less excess bandmaterial, which decreases the chances of injury if one accidentallyencounters the often sharp end of the cut band. Similarly, the cutterarm may be positioned such that the actuation of the cutter arm is notinhibited by objects in the surrounding work area. The cutter arm of oneembodiment may be positioned such that a small rotational motion thereofwill actuate a cutting mechanism to sever the band.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an easy to usecutting mechanism. More specifically, the cutting mechanism is generallya rotatable blade positioned within the tool head. In operation,rotation of the blade engages a sharp edge against the band to sever thesame. Rotation of the cutting mechanism is achieved by moving a cutterarm in an arcuate path. The cutter arm of the contemplated tool isinterconnected to the cutting mechanism in such a way that the cutterarm does not rotate beyond the end of the head. This is improvement overthe prior art tools wherein the cutting arm is rotated past the planedefined by the end of the head to completely sever the band. By limitingthe amount of travel to complete a cutting operation, the tool may beused in more confined or low clearance locations.

It is thus another aspect of the present invention to provide a toolwherein no parts protrude past the tip of the head. To ensure that theband is properly interconnected to the buckle without an excess amountof band extending from the buckle, embodiments of the present inventionensure that the band is severed close to the buckle. The head of someembodiments allow the head to be brought as close as possible to thebuckle to ensure the amount of band extending from the buckle isminimized.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a toolhaving an easy-to-interface mandrel. More specifically, the windingmandrel of the prior art includes one slot which received the free endof the band. The slot “grasps” the band and allows it to be wrappedaround the mandrel. Sometimes, however, users have difficulty placingthe free end of the band into the mandrel. Accordingly, one embodimentof the present invention provides a mandrel with at least two slots sothat the orientation of the mandrel is more accommodating and flexible.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a hand toolthat is light. The prior art tool described herein has an approximateweight of 2.25 lbs. Embodiments of the present invention, however, weighabout 1.7 lbs. Those of skill in the art will appreciate this weightreduction, although slight, will be welcomed as tightening of many bandclamps can be physically taxing over time.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool that canbe easily translated from a left hand operation to a right handoperation. More specifically, the cutter arm of some embodiments isremovable from the cutting mechanism and a positionable on either theleft hand or the right hand side of the tool to accommodate right orleft hand users, respectively. This functionality is not provided by theprior art tools and thus left handed users were at a disadvantage asthey had to reach over the cutting tool to access the cutter arm and toprovide the necessary rotation to sever the band from the band clamp.

In operation, a band is wrapped about a plurality of objects and thefree end of the band is placed in the buckle. The free end of the bandis then inserted into a slot in the head and interconnected to the slotin the mandrel. Repeated movements of the lever relative to the handlecause the mandrel to turn which wraps the band around the mandrel.Release of the lever returns it to its normal location and causes aholding pawl to engage the ratcheting wheel of the ratcheting mechanismwhich prevents band slackening. As the lever is moved towards thehandle, a tensioning pawl associated with the lever engages theratcheting mechanism and rotates the ratcheting wheel and by extensionrotates the mandrel. Once the desired tension is achieved, the tool isrotated upwardly to bend or curl a portion of the band about the buckleand the cutting arm is rotated, which causes the cutter to sever theband.

For use in tight spaces, a pin is removed from the body which allows thehandle and lever to rotate relative to the body. The handle and leverare then rotated to generally align them with the body. Finally, the pinis replaced into a separate set of holes integrated into the body, whichare associated with a new gripping configuration, to fix the position ofthe handle and the lever. The operation of the tensioning and cuttingmechanisms is generally the same regardless of the relative orientationof the lever and handle relative to the tool body.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a tool thatallows for minute tension adjustments. More specifically, one embodimentof the present invention uses a non-ratcheting tensioning mechanismcomprised of a tension clutch bearing instead of a tension pawl toselectively grip a winding mandrel to tension the band. Additionally, aholding clutch bearing is positioned in an opposing relationship to thetension clutch and functions similar to a holding pawl of a ratchetmechanism. Movement of the lever adjacent to the handle will engage thetension clutch to the holding clutch which causes the mandrel to rotate.When released, the holding clutch will prevent rotation of the mandrel.Thus, instead of discreet tension steps, minute tensioning is achieved.

It is another aspect of embodiments of the present invention to providea tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp, comprising: a body; ahandle interconnected to the body that is selectively rotatable thereto;a lever rotatably interconnected to the body, the lever associated witha ratcheting wheel positioned in the body, the lever being capable ofmovement towards the handle to rotate the ratcheting wheel; a mandrelextending from the body and associated with the ratcheting wheel thatalso rotates in response to movement of the lever towards the handle;and wherein the lever and handle are capable of moving together from afirst position of use extending laterally from the body to a secondposition of use extending longitudinally from the body.

The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it beconstrued as being representative of the full extent and scope of thepresent invention. Moreover, references made herein to “the presentinvention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certainembodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily beconstrued as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. Thepresent invention is set forth in various levels of detail in theSummary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and theDetailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scopeof the present invention is intended by either the inclusion ornon-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of theInvention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become morereadily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when takentogether with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the general description of the invention given above andthe detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explainthe principles of these inventions.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a prior art cable bundling tool;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the tool of one embodiment of thepresent invention shown in a pistol grip configuration;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the tool shown in FIG. 2 shown in amid grip configuration;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the tool in mid grip configurationshown binding a plurality of cables with a band clamp;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the tool in mid grip configurationshown binding a plurality of cables;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the tool in scissor gripconfiguration;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the tool in scissor gripconfiguration;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a left elevation view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a left elevation view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 wherein a portion of the toolhead has been removed for clarity;

FIG. 13 is a partial front perspective view of an alternate embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of a cable bundling tool with acounting device.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.In certain instances, details that are not necessary for anunderstanding of the invention or that render other details difficult toperceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, thatthe invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodimentsillustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 2-12 show a band clamp tensioning tool 102 of one embodiment ofthe present invention. The tool 102 is comprised of a body 110, a handle138 fixedly associated with a body 110, and a lever 106 rotatablyassociated with a body. The lever 106 is also associated with aratcheting mechanism 114 that employs a ratcheting wheel 116 and othermechanisms for tensioning the band which will be described in furtherdetail below. The body 110 also includes a head 126 that accommodates acutting member 130. The free end of the band is placed through the slot122, adjacent to the cutting mechanism 130, and engaged onto a windingmandrel 118. Rotation of the winding mandrel 118 is achieved byrepeatedly moving the lever 106 relative to the fixed handle 138. As themandrel 118 rotates, the band 300 is wound about the same. Once adesired amount of tension is achieved, a cutter arm 142 is rotated,which rotates the cutting mechanism 130 to sever the band 300.

FIG. 2 shows the tool 102 in a first position of use wherein theorientation of the lever 106 and handle 138 relative to the body 110 areanalogous to a pistol grip. That is, the lever 106 and handle 138 arepositioned generally orthogonal to a line extending between the slot 122and mandrel 118. The pistol grip configuration has been employed byprior art tools to tension a band 300.

Referring also now to FIGS. 8 and 12, the head 126 includes a cuttingmechanism 130, which is generally a cylindrical member having asharpened edge that severs the band 300. The body 110 also accommodatesthe ratcheting wheel 116 that is interconnected to the mandrel 118,wherein rotation of the ratcheting wheel 116 rotates the mandrel 118.The lever 106 is operatively interconnected to the ratcheting wheel 116via a tension pawl 150 that grasps teeth of the ratcheting wheel 116when the lever 106 is moved from a first position separated from thehandle 138 to a second position adjacent to the handle 138. When thehandle 138 is released, a holding pawl 154 engages the teeth of theratcheting wheel 116 to maintain the tension of the band by preventingthe ratcheting wheel 116 from rotating in the reverse direction.

FIGS. 3-5 show the tool 102 in a second position of use wherein thehandle 138 and the lever 106 are positioned between a pistol grip and ascissor grip configuration. This feature of the invention allows thetool 102 to extend into tight spaces. The operation of the tool issimilar to that as described above. In order to reposition the handle138 and the lever 106 a pin 162 is removed which allows the handle 138and lever 106 to be rotated into the positions shown in FIGS. 3-5. Afterthe handle 138 and lever 106 are moved, the pin 162 is placed throughapertures 164 integrated into the handle and through a set of aperturesintegrated into the body (not shown).

FIGS. 6-12 show another configuration of the tool wherein the handle 106and the lever 138 are generally aligned with the body 110 to provide ascissor grip. Transitioning the handle and lever to this configurationis performed as described above. In addition, operation of the tool isthe same as described above.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a tool 202 of another embodiment of thepresent invention is shown that uses a tension clutch bearing 205 and aholding clutch bearing 207 to provide the rotation to the mandrel 218.The mandrel 218, head 226, and cutting members of this embodiment of thepresent invention are similar, if not identical, to those describedabove. Here, however, when the lever is transitioned adjacent to thehandle, the tension clutch bearing 205 contacts the mandrel 218 andcauses it to rotate. When the lever 206 is released, the holding clutchbearing 207 holds the mandrel 218 in place and prevents it fromrecoiling. This embodiment of the present invention allows for the tool202 to provide minute tension adjustments as opposed to discreetadjustments provided by a traditionally used ratcheting mechanism.

FIG. 14 shows a tensioning tool 248 somewhat similar to that ofembodiments of the present invention that employs a counter 250. Thecounter 250 stores and displays ratchet mechanism cycles, number ofbands tensioned, etc., which will help users identify the need for toolservicing and calibration. Other embodiments of the present inventionemploy a load cell and associated display that allows individuals toascertain the amount of applied band tension. Any of the embodimentsdescribed herein may employ counters, load cells, and associated displaydevices.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of thoseembodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to beexpressly understood that such modifications and alterations are withinthe scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in thefollowing claims. Further, the invention(s) described herein is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out invarious ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseologyand terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and shouldnot be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or“having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the itemslisted thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tool for tensioning and cutting a band clamp,comprising: a body; a handle interconnected to said body that isselectively rotatable thereto; a lever rotatably interconnected to saidbody, said lever associated with a ratcheting wheel positioned in saidbody, said lever being capable of movement towards said handle to rotatesaid ratcheting wheel; a mandrel extending from said body and associatedwith said ratcheting wheel that also rotates in response to movement ofsaid lever towards said handle; and wherein said lever and handle arecapable of moving together from a first position of use extendinglaterally from said body to a second position of use extendinglongitudinally from said body.
 2. The tool of claim 1, wherein saidhandle is rigidly interconnectable to said body in a plurality oflocations.
 3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the position of said lever iscontrolled by a pin that is interconnected to said body.
 4. The tool ofclaim 1, wherein said mandrel employs two perpendicularly-orientedslots.
 5. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a head interconnectedto said body, said head having an opening that is adapted for receivinga free end of a band clamp, said head also including a means forsevering the band.
 6. The tool of claim 5, wherein said means forsevering is a blade that is rotatably associated with said head, saidblade also associated with an arm that is positionable on either theleft side of the right side of said body.
 7. The tool of claim 6,wherein said arm is rotated to rotate said cutting blade to sever theband, said rotation does not locate any part of said arm beyond the endof said head.
 8. The tool of claim 1, wherein said ratcheting mechanismis comprised of a spring-biased ratcheting wheel that is selectivelyrotated when said lever is transitioned proximate to said handle, saidlever associated with a tension pawl that engages said ratcheting wheelso that movement of said lever transfers rotational energy to saidmandrel.
 9. The tool of claim 1, wherein said ratcheting mechanism is acomprised of a tensioning clutch bearing that works in conjunction witha holding clutch bearing that allow said mandrel to rotate in only onedirection in response to said lever moving towards said handle.
 10. Thetool of claim 1, wherein said handle and said lever are selectivelyinterconnected to said body by removable pins.
 11. The tool of claim 1,wherein said handle and lever are selectively positionable such that theposition of said body, said lever, and said handle generally correspondto at least one of a scissors and a pistol.
 12. A tool having a body, ahead for receiving a free end of a band clamp, a handle fixedlyinterconnected to but selectively positionable relative to said body, alever rotatably interconnected to said body, said lever associated witha ratcheting wheel positioned in said body, a mandrel extending fromsaid body and associated with said ratcheting wheel that rotates inresponse to movement of said lever towards said handle, and wherein saidhandle is able to rotate relative to said body, the improvementcomprising: wherein said handle and lever are selectively positionablesuch that the position of said body, said lever, and said handlegenerally correspond to at least one of a scissors and a pistol.
 13. Thetool of claim 12, wherein said handle can be rigidly interconnected tosaid body in a plurality of locations.
 14. The tool of claim 12, whereinsaid lever can be rotatably interconnected to said body in a pluralityof locations.
 15. The tool of claim 12, wherein said mandrel employs twoperpendicularly-oriented slots.
 16. The tool of claim 12, wherein saidhead has an opening that is adapted for receiving a free end of a bandclamp, said head also including a mean for severing the band.
 17. Thetool of claim 16, wherein said means for severing is a blade that isrotatably associated with said head, said blade also interconnected toan arm positionable on either the left side of the right side of saidbody.
 18. The tool of claim 17, wherein said arm is rotated to actuatesaid cutting blade to sever the band and no part of said arm will extendbeyond the end of said head.
 19. The tool of claim 12, wherein saidratcheting wheel is spring-biased and is selectively rotated when saidlever is transitioned proximate to said handle, said lever associatedwith a tension pawl that engages said ratcheting wheel so that movementof said lever transfers rotational energy to said mandrel.
 20. The toolof claim 12, wherein said ratcheting mechanism is a comprised of atensioning clutch bearing that works in conjunction with a holdingclutch bearing that allows said mandrel to rotate in one direction inresponse to said lever moving towards said handle.